10 years on, same purple pride

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Next Wednesday’s Origin decider will see Queensland boast its strongest Melbourne representation since 2008.

Cameron Smith will lead a Maroons side that includes Storm teammates Billy Slater, Will Chambers, Cooper Cronk, Tim Glasby and Cameron Munster.

Munster will be the second Melbourne player to debut for Queensland in this series, after Glasby earned his call up for Game II.

It takes the total number of Storm players in Kevin Walter’s team to six – the most in ten years.

Back in 2008 Queensland also took six Storm players with them into the Game III decider.

Cameron Smith was steering the ship at hooker, Greg Inglis and Israel Folau were a devastating one-two punch out wide, Dallas Johnson was simply tireless at lock while you could hardly ask for two better players to come off the bench than Michael Crocker and Billy Slater.

Storm also had four players in the NSW squad during that ‘08 series; Steve Turner, Anthony Quinn, Brett White and Ryan Hoffman.

Craig Bellamy was also coach of the Blues during that time from 2008-2010.

Now 10 years later Storm fans will have six reasons to show their purple pride, all be-it with a tinge of Maroon.